Just Bought Hinoura

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MatisManu

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I finally got a “Gyuto”. It’s a 180mm Tsukasa Hinoura Shiro 2 clad tsuchime with a kurouchi finish. So I guess it really could be an extra large petty too. It’s a beautiful blade with a custom handle made out of 5400 year old Black Bog Oak and Curly Big Leaf Maple. Good balance, maybe a little forward. A bit heavier than I originally was thinking it would be, but still slices like a beast. It went through an onion no problem. Now I need to get myself a Japanese workhorse Gyuto 240/some kind of clever(I want it to be able to go through a poultry bone and not chip) and a nakiri/Bunka/usuba. Any suggestions?
 
How about a yo-deba? That ought to go through some bones. JNS recently launched a Munetoshi meat cleaver (it looks like an axe) that looks like it can hack off limbs.

Very nice knife btw!
 
MatisManu said:
There’s really no Japanese kind of kitchen blade and that’s tough enough to go through a small bone?
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They are not really designed for bone. I hate car analogies but it's kinda like asking why there isn't any kind of Ferrari that you could take off-road.

My understanding is that Japanese poultry butchery is mainly about jointing the chicken. A honesuki is designed for this and apparently the heel is microbevelled to go through really thin bones like ribs but not thighs.

I have used a deba for this and I can't recommend it. First few times was OK but subsequntly managed to microchip in several places (despite 45 degree microbevel). This without going through anything bigger than ribs and spine, and with very gentle technique.

If you want to go through bones rather than around them, use a knife designed (and sharpened) for the purpose. My Western cleaver is pretty cheap, very chunky and is "sharpened" to 30 degrees per side. I don't use it to break thighs but it does spines and ribs without breaking a sweat. I use a cheapish Victorinox westen boning knife to joint the rest of the chicken. I guess I could use a honesuki or even a petty for this but the boning knife does the job well and often ends up with a few dings to the edge (probably my poor boning technique, I know) which usually come out with a few strokes on a rod. I'd never use a rod on a Japanese knife.
 
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BTW, I have the non-Ku, non-hammered Hyakuren Hinoura. I assume but am not sure that they are very similar blades. Certainly it is no laser. It's a pleasure to sharpen and a great "do anything" (except bones!) Knife. Is this what you mean by "workhorse"?
 
panda said:
how is the grind?
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Mine (Hyakuren) is quite thin behind the edge- a little thinner than Kagekiyo but not quite as thin as Tanaka Najishi at the choil (keeping in mind that Tanaka choil shots are notoriously deceptive).

The wide bevel is assymetric and very slightly concave. Presumably ground on a large wheel. It thickens out more than the Tanaka. It performs as a thicker knife than Tanaka, including overall better food release and a more robust feeling.

It is a pleasure to sharpen.

To my mind, it's the knife that just quietly gets the job done without fuss.
 
Oh man,I have a Mutsumi Hinoura 180 mm Gyuto that I just love to use. I think there is a sleeping giant in that young bladesmith. Such a nice knife.
 
Pretty Knife!!

BUT, I also could not find Hinoura knives on that site. I would really love to see more of Tsukasa's work with stainless cladding-

If you have a link to more of these knives, I would love to see...Thanks!
 
Does the hammered finish aid with food release compared to the same Hinoura knives without a hammered finish, or is it just cosmetic?
 
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